Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka pledged the US would join Britain in a 'full-throated call' for international action

Ms Trump joined the United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres at a special meeting of countries from across the world to discuss what Mrs May described as the "scourge" of forced labour and human trafficking.

Chairing the meeting, the PM announced the UK would host an global summit of chief prosecutors in the spring of 2018 to discuss a co-ordinated response to the problem.

And she told the meeting of ministers and leaders from countries including Spain, Saudi Arabia and the Vatican City in New York that her Government would double its aid spending on modern slavery to £150million.

This will enable more collaboration with the home countries of trafficked people and the transit states which they pass through.

She said: "We gather here today united in our determination to eliminate the scourge of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking.

"Modern slavery exists in all our societies, it respects neither borders nor jurisdictions, its victims are subject to the most appalling mistreatment and exploitation."

Mrs May has made it her personal priority to eradicate the horrendous crime

She urged the nations of the world to join together in declaring: "We will not tolerate these crimes in our societies."

Mrs May said Britain was committed to training specialist investigators and frontline police officers to develop the expertise to prosecute complex slavery cases and offer support to traumatised victims.

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